Astros, Josh Hader agree to 5 year, $95 million contract

I don't think there is anyway Vladdy is traded before next year's deadline and Click will want even more of an overpay after Kikuchi's improvement.

I think Robert will be traded, and would fit very nicely on this team. He won't be cheap though.

I like Whitcomb in LF and Dezenzo at 3b next year. If they can it 7th and 8th it would be great and lessen the pressure while they adjust to MLB pitching.

With Robert in CF, Meyers can be part of a deal for a young controllable 1b who can hit 6th.

My wheels are turning. . .

 

It would be foolish to depend on both Whitcomb and Dezenzo to be a part of the everyday lineup. I'm more in the trade for a Robert type player and sign a veteran 3rd baseman like Rengifo in FA. I also wouldn't be against giving Caratini a shot at 1st base after working on his defense this off-season and giving Salazar the backup C job. This would be a cheap way to fill the 1st base job along with giving Singleton, Whitcomb, Dezenzo a shot.

 

I don’t think the Astros will have the prospects or money to add a superstar level player like Robert Jr or Vlad Jr. this offseason. Luckily they don’t really need that. With Diaz emerging as a star level hitter and Pena asserting himself as solidly above average, they really just need one really good hitter and one above average hitter between 1B, LF, and 3B. My hope is that over the rest of this season they can root thru internal options McCormick, Whitcomb, Dezenzo, Cabbage, and Leon and find one guy they can count on to be above average. If that happens their offseason checklist will consist of:

One hitter who can hit 5th and play 1B, 3B, or LF.
One cheap bench player who can crush lefties to platoon with Singleton.
One SP capable of starting a playoff game.

If 2 of Whitcomb, McCormick, and Dezenzo get really hot over the rest of the season then really they may not need to add offense at all. Let’s say Whitcomb can be counted on for a 750 ops, Singleton/Dezenzo/Caratini/Dubon can be counted on to combine for a 720 ops at 1B, and McCormick is now nothing more than a good 4th OF. The lineup then would be:

Altuve
Tucker
Alvarez
Diaz
TBD 800 ops hitter
Whitcomb
Pena
Singleton/Dezenzo/Caratini/Dubon
Meyers

It’s a shame that both Garcia and McCullers were unable to come back this season; had both of them come back then there’s a chance Houston’s roster could be pretty set for 2025. The emergence of Diaz on offense and all the pitching (Brown, Blanco, Arrighetti, Ort, King, Scott) has been huge.

 

Good point about depending on rookies, but I think Caratini needs to stay at catcher. This will be his walk year, so it would just be a bandaid at best, and his history indicates he is probably hitting over his head this year.

 

You're prbably right, but this is the best chance he's gotten when it comes to getting regular playing time.

 

My confidence level in dude dropped to a 6 just a few weeks ago -- but he's performing in every situation recently (save, non-save, multi-innings, b2b appearances, etc). He's quickly turned into a 9. Through all the bs this season with the slow start, maybe from adjusting to new scenery, he's WHIPing 0.907. Astros best reliever and perhaps the best in the entire majors.
.

 

I'm drinking the h8raide

 

He's living up to his contract... but Clase is going to get cy young votes (let alone possibly win the thing). Hader is not better than Clase this season.

 

Relief pitchers.

Am I right?

 

With exception to his hiccup against the Royals, Hader had been money in the 9th inning for about 2 month.

The starting rotation also has been rock solid for a while, it’s the middle relief and the 7th and 8th inning guys that have sprung holes in their games. However since coming back from injury, Presley has looked better.

Hader has had an up and down 1st season with his massive contract, but he’s definitely shown why the Astros offered him that contract. His stuff is electric and can snuff out the best batter on the opponents lineup.

 

This is interesting for a few reasons.

First, agree that Guerrero isn't going anywhere unless a team like the Mets or Orioles or Yankees decide they are going to give up some really good prospects and then sign Guerrero to a massive contract. The most likely outcome though, is that the Jays over pay for Guerrero to stay.

Luis Robert though - that is possibly a different story. The White Sox were very foolish with him. He made it VERY clear that he was not going to give effort and did not want to play on a losing team. He has only played over 100 games in a season ONCE in 5 years. He has an OPS+ of 86 this season and he has stopped sacrificing his body in the outfield because he doesn't want to be there. He has three years and 55 million left on his deal.

I think the Astros have the prospects to get Robert if they decide to take that route. His lack of availability through his age 26 season, coupled with his lack of effort and terrible BB/K ratio - has really hurt his value on the market.

Smart teams will look at Robert and see that he is literally a talent on par with Ronald Acuna - and hope that they can keep his interest by being on a winning team. Still, no one is going to want to give him a 10 year deal with that attitude.

The Astros are likely losing Bregman this Winter and they are almost guaranteed to lose Tucker after 2025. Luis Robert is under contract for 3 years, and he fits the talent drain from losing someone like Bregman or Tucker - which is why the Astros have been so aggressive about getting him.

Also according to baseball reference - his first comparison through age 25? Kyle Tucker.

 

Yeah, as long as it's not one of our top 5 prospects, I'm all for getting him in the off season. There is no way we sign Tucker. He's getting a Correa before the injury concerns contract. We need some outfield talent. I'm all for keeping Bregman but not for anything longer than 5 years.

 

I know the White Sox have been poorly run for a long time, but I still find it hard to imagine they would trade Robert now after hanging on to him thru the biggest seller’s deadline in history. But if they are shopping him based on his attitude and have appropriately dropped his value based on how bad he’s been this season and his injury history, then I’m all for it. I’d be cool with Houston giving up any 3 prospects/young players except for Matthews. I would think if they’re open to trading him that a package of Melton, Baez, and Dezenzo might be pretty competitive. On days where Yordan plays the field, a Tucker/Robert/Yordan OF would be among the best of all time.

 

How are you gonna half ass it and be grumpy while playing baseball for 18 million a year? I get you want to be on a winner but that is some spoiled brat bs right there. Not sure that his laughably immature attitude would be a good fit here.

 

I would also put a pitcher like Tayor in that deal.

The only 2 guys I wouldn't trade are Matthews and Blubaugh. I might even put Matthews in the deal, but would have to think long and hard about it.

 

Devil's advocate. ( and I'm not taking either side)

If an entire team and organization is markedly below par, there is nothing wrong with a member of that organization wanting change and taking steps to do so.

Now, intentionally giving less than 100% is a terrible way to do that IMO, but a player should not be criticized for being unhappy, making that known, and taking steps to protest and hopefully change the situation.

Players have managers, coaches, and other personnel fired all the time. If he is a multi million $$ long-term "star" his on field reflection is the best way for those responsible for change to see this w/ the pressure of public knowledge.